Strongest Hop Flavor Method

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theskibum

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I'm trying to make a APA with as much hop flavor as I can. What method have you found gives the most hop flavor?
 
Not sure it's a single method, but rather a combination.

I've had good results on an IPA I did by doing a first-wort hop (adding hops to the boil kettle before you start running wort into it) along with some mixed late-hop additions.

This particular IPA called for:

0.5oz Centennial FWH

1oz Warrior @ 60min
0.25oz Chinook @ 30min
0.5oz Centenniel @ 30min
0.25oz Chinook @ 15min
0.5oz Centennial @ 15min
1oz Centennial @ 0min

Dry hopped w/ 0.25oz of both Centennial and Chinook.

IPA turned out to be a freaking pine-forest/citrusy/floral love-fest of hops. OG was 1.077 too, finished at 1.015 w/ WLP001 and man, was that a good beer.

Essentially, smart hop combination and techniques will produce a lot of hop flavor. Just be sure to balance your IBU's w/ your gravity. High IBU w/ small gravity will implode your face. Trust me on that one.
 
My SMaSH 2-row/Liberty has huge hop presence from only 3oz total hops (4.5%AA):
1oz 60min
.5oz 15min
.5oz 5min
.1oz 15min (kraeusening batch)
and here's the kicker:
.9oz steeped at 150ºF for 10min (kraeusening batch)

It seems to bring a different character than dry-hops. Less grassy/herbal and more fruity/floral, though to be honest I've never used Liberty before. I will definitely use them again!

EDIT: My point is, I think a hop tea makes for a strong hop flavor with minimal hops.
 
Late hopping... If you get all of your IBUs from 20 minute or less additions, the hop flavor will knock you off your chair.

I still have dreams about an Amarillo pale ale I tasted at a club meeting, 4 oz but still about 30 ibus... :D
 
wow, thanks for the fast replies. I just did an 11 gal. APA with a 2oz Cascade FWH and 1oz late hop addition and it didn't have the flavor I was hoping for. I've read that FWH should give a strong hop flavor, but I might have done too much FW and not enough late. What do you all think?
 
Well, I could run it through some software to verify, but the hop rate looks pretty modest on that considering it's an 11-gal batch. Depending on the gravity and boil volume (I assume all-grain here), you could get decent (low 30's?) but not massive IBU's out of the FWH. That would be quite low for an APA.

1 oz late is not enough, I'd say. I put half an ounce of homegrown cascades in at 15 min and another half ounce at 5 min on a light (1.051) APA-ish beer and got great hop aroma and flavor, but that was a 5-gal batch. Some of my friends were a little blown away by the hops, but after a couple sips they grooved on it pretty hard because the total IBU's were really modest (~35--1/2 oz Chinook, 1/2 oz Challenger @ 60 min).
 
Definitely. 1 oz of late hop additions is modest at best in an 11 gallon recipe. If you're looking for the hop punch of say an Anchor Liberty Ale or a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, consider 2-3 oz of late hop additions and at least 1oz in secondary dry.
 
Here's my hoppy American amber hop schedule for 11 gallons:

1 oz Magnum Leaf (12.9%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Amarillo (8.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
1 oz Centennial (9.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
1 oz Amarillo (9.8%) - steeped after boil
1 oz Centennial (9.5%) - steeped after boil
 
Don't forget the rest of the beer. A dryer beer will result in a hoppier tasting beer. More carbonation will also enhance the hoppiness of the beer.
 
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